‘Chico’ is a decade in the making

Eye on the Oscars: Animation - Feature Films

“Chico & Rita” had its genesis some 10 years ago when Oscar-winning director Fernando Trueba (“Belle Epoque”) asked artist Javier Mariscal to create a poster for his Latin jazz documentary “Calle 54.” Joined by Mariscal’s younger brother Tono Errando, the three co-directors and screenwriter Ignacio Martinez de Pison fashioned an epic story of love, passion and heartbreak that begins in 1940s Havana and spans several decades. According to British producer Michael Rose, although some of the animation was farmed out to various studios around the world, “All design, development and original artwork was done at Estudio Mariscal in Barcelona.” With a budget of just $13 million, the classic hand-drawn 2D animation film took some seven years from start to finish to complete — “a real labor of love,” says Rose.